Croud recently attended MAD//Fest - the UK's most distinctive and daring invite-only marketing, advertising and disruption festival.
The event was packed with brilliant talks from leaders across the industry, so we’ve summarised the key takeaways from some of our favourite sessions. These offer valuable insights into bold marketing strategies, creative approaches, and effective ways to connect with audiences in today's digital landscape.
Read on for the summarised scoop…
Being bold without the bullsh*t: How to cut through whilst staying on brand
Gareth Turner, Founder and Marketing Director at Big Black Door, and Annie Morris, Founder at Spoon Cereals, discussed the importance of boldness in marketing, emphasising that it's not just about winning awards but about achieving results. They highlighted that to be a bold brand, you need a strong identity that stands for or against something beyond what you're selling. This can involve challenging category norms and taking on an educational role, addressing issues like climate change - without being preachy of course!
The speakers cited examples like Wildfarmed, which has successfully nailed its tone on Instagram to appeal to a younger audience. They also touched on the longevity of brand-building, referencing British Airways' decades-long efforts and how well that has paid off.
Interestingly, they noted that bold marketing isn't always about grand communications - sometimes it's simply about staying true to your product's quality, even in the face of regulatory challenges.
How the ‘wrong thing’ can be right - marketing insights from Liquid Death
Under the disclaimer that this won’t work for every brand, Daniel Murphy, SVP of Marketing at Liquid Death, shared unconventional wisdom about marketing strategies. He emphasised ‘entertainment first’ marketing, suggesting that creating shareable content is key in today's digital landscape. Murphy rightly pointed out that brands are now competing against algorithms rather than just their direct competitors, noting that competition is so high that Liquid Death hired actual comedians and sitcom writers onto their copywriting teams to ensure their content lands well and cuts through the noise.
Sometimes it’s the unconventional ideas that don’t initially make sense that can lead to creative gold. Liquid Death's approach includes partnering with unexpected brands like Elf Cosmetics and embracing ‘haters’ by turning negative comments into creative content. Murphy stressed the importance of not taking yourself too seriously as a brand – don’t fear getting cancelled, fear getting ignored - and highlighted that sometimes, smaller budget campaigns can be just as effective as larger ones.
Fortune favours the bold - panel discussion
This insightful panel discussion explored what it means to be bold in marketing across different sectors and industries. Michelle Spillane, MD of Marketing at Paddy Power noted that regardless of the industry, the same principles apply. Her key points included:
- Push culture forward by partnering with great collaborators to bring fresh perspectives. Doing something unexpected and not seen before is what galvanises people.
- Be selective and use data to shape strategy rather than dictate it - data can’t give you a real point of view on the world, you need bravery in order to do that.
- Think outside of category norms and industry tropes to stand out from the competition – you need to forge your own path in order to be distinctive and stand out from the crowd.
The panellists also emphasised the importance of creating psychologically safe environments for creative ideas to flourish, and to reframe failure as learning opportunities. They also discussed the challenge of balancing short-term performance with long-term objectives, suggesting that building a culture of experimentation can help normalise both success and failure.
Pain relief for marketers: in a digital world, connected creativity is the cure
In this session, Lynne Deason and Efrain Ayala showcased Nurofen's award-winning ‘See my pain’ campaign as an example of effective connected creativity. The campaign aimed to address the gender pain gap while differentiating the brand in a market where consumers are increasingly opting for generic painkillers due to the cost of living. Key strategies included:
- Link meaningfully with the audience. Empathy alone isn't enough, so Nurofen created actionable tools like a ‘pain pass’ for women to describe their pain to doctors.
- Focus on brand-centric creativity to go beyond passive attention.
- Adapt content natively for different platforms. The same asset won’t perform the same everywhere, so from equipping GPs on TikTok to morning TV, ensure your ad is an enjoyable part of people’s lives - not an interruption.
- Make sure you’re achieving ‘stickiness’ with your campaigns through the repetition of key messages and leveraging emotion and creativity.
The speakers highlighted that integrated, customised campaigns across channels are 57% more effective, appealing not only to your audiences, but also your CFO.
To conclude...
MAD//Fest once again provided a wealth of insights into modern marketing strategies. From the importance of boldness and authenticity to the power of connected creativity and platform-specific content, these talks emphasised the need for marketers to think differently, embrace risks, and focus on meaningful connections with their audiences.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, these lessons will be crucial for brands looking to stand out and make a lasting impact.
For more marketing insights, make sure you check out our resource page.
